Category Archives: Trucking News

Fox Valley Technical College is hosting a Job Fair in Appleton, WI on Thursday!

The Truck Driving Job Fair is open to current and past FVTC Truck Driving Program students and the general public. There is a strong demand for professional truck drivers, and Fox Valley Technical College hopes that the fair can help prepare students for an exciting career.

The truck driving profession is on the top 10 list for CareerCast’s 2018 Toughest Jobs to Fill report, which CareerCast Online Content Editor Kyle Kensing believes is the result of the recession and skills gap.

In the report, CareerCast lists a truck drivers’s annual median salary as $41,340 and has a growth outlook of 6%. By 2026, there will be an additional 108,400 positions available. The data was compiled through cross reference with trade associations and information available to CareerCast.

“When you think of consumer confidence being down, shopping being down, construction being down — those are all of the industries that feed in directly to trucking and transportation,” said Kensing.

As a result of the recent recession, people have either found work in different industries or former truck drivers who took a hiatus need to be recertified, according to Kensing.

Kensing believes that the solution to filling those jobs is a renewed focus on vocational-type careers and training.

“Trucking is an excellent and rewarding field and there is typically high demand there,” said Kensing. “I think we just need to do a better job at providing a little bit more information and background about what it entails as well as the kind of career path you can have and the kind of money you can make.”

Apollo Career Center Truck Driving Academy Manager Jim Rosen and his team are doing all they can to prepare students who are seeking to become truck drivers.

In the very beginning of the course, Rosen takes the students through career counseling to make sure that trucking is a good fit.

“We seem to be able to keep the classes full for our capacity,” said Rosen. “There is definitely a demand and interest in it. We have 40-some companies that will hire our graduates.”

Despite the fact that truck driving is listed as one of the top jobs to fill, it is in high demand and is a profession that Rosen said is well worth it.

“There is great job stability,” said Rosen. “As long as you keep a good driving record, you can drive, you can really make a good living with full benefits.”

The revenue increase was fueled by 16% increases in both the number of loads and the total revenue per load. Rates rose rapidly during the year, contributing to the revenue increase. However, gross margins for the group dropped to an average of 13.7% from 14.8% in 2016, as costs increased faster than billings.

Total profit for the year also declined 11% compared to 2016, due largely to a few challenging months when expenses rose faster than revenues. Also, brokers tended to postpone profits from December to January, to take advantage of this year’s more favorable tax laws. That made December seem less profitable for the group, which had a big impact on quarterly results.

A Challenging but Successful Year, in Graphs

The selection of graphs below tell the story of a challenging but successful year. Brokers moved more loads in 2017, with higher revenue per load and higher revenue per employee. Costs rose faster than revenues, however, reducing profitability in some months and paring down gross margins for the year. The cost increase was associated primarily with rising spot market rates. Labor costs also grew throughout 2017.

Labor costs rose to 66% of net revenue in Q4 2016 and stayed in the 65% to 67% range for all of 2017. During the same period, non-labor expense declined from 29% to 22% as a portion of net revenue. The combination of the two put a squeeze on net operating profits, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2016, until profitability rebounded for the group in the second half of 2017.

Costs began to climb in Q4 2016, with labor expense leading non-labor expense, as brokerage companies in the group prepared to handle the revenue growth to come.

Revenue per employee held steady from Q4 2016 through Q2 2017, but average profit declined on a per-employee basis. The brokerages increased headcount during that period, to position their companies for additional growth.

Load counts increased 16% in 2017, including a 22% increase in the fourth quarter, compared to 2016. Steady, quarter-over-quarter growth in load counts began in Q1 2016 and accelerated in Q2 2017.

Revenue per load increased steadily in 2017, on both a year-over-year and a quarter-over-quarter basis, rising from an average of $1,226 per load in Q1 to $1,549 in Q4. Profits lagged during the period from Q4 2016 through Q2 2017, however, due to increased costs. From a $4.63 profit per load in Q1, the group’s average results improved to $22.42 per load in Q4. Profitability would likely have been higher in Q4, but many brokers moved profits to the new tax year.

Rapid increases in spot market freight rates led to margin compression for many freight brokers in 2017. Gross margins fell to 11% in January, due to extreme weather, then declined again to 13% from May through June, as rates began to rise sharply.

The DAT Broker Benchmark project analyzes revenues, expenses and profits, based on more than 25 key performance indicators available in DAT Keypoint, the transportation management system developed exclusively for freight brokers.

Responding to big demand, monthly average truck rates for refrigerated freight climbed again in December to reach an all-time high, according to the DAT Freight Index.

The monthly national averages for both dry and refrigerated (“reefer”) van rates were the highest of 2017, according to the index.

Spot truckload van rates averaged $2.11 per mile nationally, up 4 cents compared to November and the highest monthly average since DAT started tracking freight rates in 2010, according to the release.

The average reefer rate for December was $2.46 per mile, 3 cents higher than the November average and another all-time high, according to the release.

The availability of truckload freight in December was bolstered by retail shipments, demand for fresh and frozen foods, and e-commerce fulfillment, according to the release. Available truckload freight was 25% higher than in December 2016.

However, overall freight volume in December fell 3% compared to a strong November, according to the release. Some of the factors in that decline were inclement weather in parts of the U.S and the Dec. 18 electronic logging device mandate. That combination of strains on equipment and drivers meant that shippers and freight brokers paid premiums for available trucks, according to the release.

The ReedTMS team prides itself on caring about our drivers needs. One major challenge for our drivers is finding time to heat or reheat food on the go.

We would like to congratulate Kevin L. (pictured in the center), one of ReedTMS Logistics’ Top Drivers, on continuing to make our company look AWESOME in front of our shipper customers!

Kudos also to Bernie Youngblood, President of Hot Logic, for sponsoring the gift that will give some of our top performing drivers FREE HotLogic Mini 3-in-1 Electric Lunchbox’s to help cook food on the go and in the truck!

Based in Beautiful, Sunny Tampa, Florida — ReedTMS is an asset-based third-party logistics provider comprised of Reed Transport Services, Inc. and TMS Logistics, Inc. Reed Transport provides brokerage and freight management services throughout the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. Our family-owned and operated business maintains the highest level of communication possible. Each customer is assigned a highly-trained logistics team to provide streamlined, proactive communication to ensure complete consistency.

Our Service Promise –

We strive to provide the highest quality service at all times. We are committed to a professionally handled transportation experience accomplished by understanding and delivering on and above expectations.

Tampa, Fla. (Jan. 17, 2018) – ReedTMS, a leading asset-based third party logistics provider announced its third annual carrier awards today. ReedTMS Logistics prides itself on successfully meeting and exceeding customer requirements and credits its success in large part due to the relationships it has built with a diverse group of carriers. Two decades of experience has helped to transform ReedTMS from a small startup venture to a leading organization within the logistics industry.

The following carriers are nominated by ReedTMS Logistics operations team members. Nominated service providers are then evaluated on a multitude of performance metrics that include: service quality and performance, on-time service, capacity and pricing, and overall commitment to the partnership.

The 2017 Flatbed Carrier of the year winner was presented to DP USA Trucking Inc

The 2017 Award of Excellence for Outstanding Flatbed Service was presented to JJB Logistics Inc

The 2017 Dry Van Carrier of the year was presented to R & R Elite Trucking

The 2017 Award of Excellence for Outstanding Dry Van Service was presented to Bridgestone America’s Fleet Operations

The 2017 Refrigerated Van Service winner was presented to CALIFORNIA EXPRESS LINES LLC

The 2017 Award of Excellence for Outstanding Refrigerated Van Service was presented to Darngavil Enterprises LLC

“It brings us great pleasure to recognize some of our carrier partners who exemplify what it means to go above and beyond in an industry as diverse as ours,” said Jason Reed, CEO of ReedTMS Logistics. “The continued success of our business is reliant on great relationships like the ones we have forged with these terrific companies.”

ReedTMS Logistics supports its more than 25,000 carriers with high volume and quality truck loads, timely payment, an in-depth understanding of their business, ease of doing business and most importantly a customer-centric operations staff.

About ReedTMS Logistics
Established in 2010, ReedTMS Logistics is an asset-based third-party logistics provider compromised of Reed Transport Services, Inc. and TMS Logistics, Inc. The two companies offer a wide array of transportation services to customers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla. with offices in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin and Ashland, Ohio. Founded in 1996, Reed Transport offers high-quality brokerage and freight management services. Founded in 1997, TMS Logistics is a multimode carrier specializing in dry van, dedicated fleet services. For more information, visit www.ReedTMS.com